Is Aimi Eguchi Real or Virtual? Updated!

Aimi Eguchi is a member of the Japanese girl group sensation AKB48. She has been recognized by fans as one of the most popular girls in the group.

(Aimee Eguchi)

Her appearance in a commercial (see the news report below) has caused fans to speculate if she is in fact a real person, or just a CGI creation.

Netizens believe that Eguchi's appearance is a composite of the most popular AKB48 girlsóreal girls that appear in the Aisu no Mi ad.

Eguchi does appear to be somewhat stiff in the commercial, and her mouth movements appear off. But maybe she's nervous. Or maybe it's because she was created in a hard drive to sell this snack. As one Netizen notes, her first name "Aimi" (愛実) could be a wordplay on "Aisu no Mi" (アイスの実). The name of the song AKB48 sing in the snack commercial is "Aisu no Kuchizuke" or "Ice Kiss".

Her magazine and candy commercial are the only times Eguchi's apparently appeared in public, leading to further questions if she really exists.

Update: It turns out that Eguchi is a composite of six band members; see the 'Making of Aimi Eguchi" video below.